For years, conservatives have claimed that the Clinton Foundation was nothing more than a pay-to-play scheme run by Bill and Hillary Clinton.
The Foundation hit its height in 2009, raking in a massive $250 million.
Conveniently, this was when Hillary had the most political influence.
Ethics Experts Concerned
A mere 12 years later, and the Clinton Foundation is not bringing in 10 percent of the haul it had in 2009.
Donations have tailed off considerably after Hillary’s failed 2016 campaign to just over $16 million in 2020.
The Foundation’s mission has not changed, the players have not changed, but Hillary no longer can peddle influence, and the money has dried up.
That is not exactly a good sign for ethics experts tasked with taking a deeper dive at the Foundation.
Scott Amey, General Counsel for the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), a nonpartisan, independent government corruption watchdog organization, stated, “For years, the Clinton Foundation raised ethical concerns and blurred lines between the Foundation, private entities, and the State Department.
“Money was pouring in when Hillary Clinton was a senior official and a candidate for president.
“The fact that foundation donors received special access to the Secretary of State isn’t surprising, nor is the fall in foundation funding after her 2016 election loss.
“Many people thought people were supporting the former president, but it really looks like they were cozying up to who they thought was going to be the future president — a situation that can’t be repeated.”
Amey added, “Now, with ethics concerns raised about Mnuchin and Kushner, as well as judges, it is vital that Congress put politics aside and pass an ethics reform package for all three branches of government.
“Congress must eliminate conflicts of interest, restrict special access, prevent trading on insider knowledge, and stop public servants who cash in for personal or private gain.
“Recent surveys show that corruption is a major public concern, but with the foxes guarding the henhouse, I’m unsure who will step forward to fix the problem.”
Other organizations are looking at this as well, with Anna Massoglia of OpenSecrets stating, “We’ve been seeing a decline in the cash flow to the Clinton Foundation since the 2016 presidential election.”
She continued, “During the presidential election, of course, Clinton had said that they were going to step back from the Foundation for the duration of the election, and if she came into office, that they would wind things down.
“However, because she was not elected, it was not expected that the Foundation would get smaller for any other reason, at least externally.”
It is time for this Foundation to face a full forensics audit. My guess is if that ever happens, both Bill and Hillary will be in orange jumpsuits.
Source: Daily Caller
